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Manitoba girl, 7, mauled to death by dogs

Child was visiting family friends in Springfield, Man., when she was attacked by two Alaskan malemute dogs, RCMP said.

By Chinta PuxleyThe Canadian Press

Mon., March 17, 2014

WINNIPEG—A 7-year-old girl is dead after being mauled by two dogs at a rural Manitoba home.

RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel said officers responded to a call Sunday in the rural municipality of Springfield. The girl was rushed to a Winnipeg hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The girl, who was from St. Andrews, Man., was visiting family friends at the time of the attack, Seel said.

“Two Alaskan malemute dogs were seized and are being held by RM Springfield animal control while the investigation continues,” Seel said Monday. “It should be noted that the dogs were known to the deceased. This was not a random attack.”

The girl’s name and exact cause of death were not being released, Seel said. It’s not clear what prompted the attack, she added.

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The girl was being supervised by an adult but it doesn’t appear anyone witnessed the mauling, Seel said.

Charges are not being ruled out. “We’re still in the thick of the investigation,” Seel said.

Dick Vlaming, fire chief for Springfield, said the fire service didn’t get called in on Sunday, but one of his volunteers was driving home when he noticed a commotion on the rural property.

He stopped to see if he could help, but by then it was too late, Vlaming said. The girl had already been transported to hospital and the RCMP were on the scene.

The community is shaken, Vlaming said.

“It’s terrible. It’s something you don’t wish on anybody. It’s terrible for the family and for the people that responded,” he said. “We just feel for the family. That’s something nobody wants to go through or should go through.”

On its Facebook page, Rural Animal Management Services said it wouldn’t release any information.

“There will be no press release or casual discussion from us surrounding today’s tragic events,” stated a post from Sunday evening. “Our thoughts go out to all those impacted by this terrible incident.”

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